Net Income and Earnings Per Share
Net income of $22.6 million for Q1 2026, or $0.75 per diluted share, showing sequential and year-over-year growth.
Net Interest Margin Expansion
Net interest margin expanded by 10 basis points to 3.38%, marking the seventh consecutive quarter of NIM expansion driven by lower cost of funds.
Strong Loan Production and C&I Growth
Total loan production of $378 million in the quarter (up $3 million sequentially); C&I production surged to $135 million, a 64% increase quarter-over-quarter.
Deposit Growth and Stable Core Funding
Deposits grew at a 7% annualized rate (2% sequentially in the quarter), noninterest-bearing deposits remained healthy at ~30% of total deposits, and Corporate Korea deposits increased 11% quarter-over-quarter to surpass $1.1 billion.
Asset Quality Improvements
Nonperforming assets decreased 38% to 0.6% of total assets; nonperforming loans declined 31% to 0.19% of total loans; delinquencies declined 25% to 0.20% of total loans, aided by a $9.7 million collection on a nonaccrual loan and OREO sales.
Expense Management and Efficiency Gains
Noninterest expense declined 1.9% to $38.4 million; efficiency ratio improved ~150 basis points to ~53.5% (53.48%), helped by lower OREO expense, moderated advertising, and compensation adjustments.
Pre-Provision Net Revenue and Noninterest Income
Pre-provision net revenue increased 4.1% to $33.4 million; noninterest income increased 2.9% to $8.5 million, driven by higher SBA loan sale gains and trade premiums.
Capital Position and Shareholder Returns
Tangible common equity per share rose 1.1% to $26.56 and TCE/TA increased to 10.11%; returned $13.4 million to shareholders (including $4.8 million in share repurchases) in the quarter.
CRE Portfolio Metrics and Discipline
CRE production increased 4% to $131 million; CRE now represents 61% of total loans with a weighted average LTV of ~47% and a debt service coverage ratio of 2.2x, underscoring conservative underwriting.